Letter folding machine



June 30, 1931. R. N. PIERsoN ET-AL 1,811,964

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LETTER FOLDING MACHINE June 30, 1931. R, N, P|ER5QN ET AL y 1,811,964

LETTER FOLDING MACHINE Filed sept. 14. 1929 3 Sheets-sheet 3 @15,9/lZL/. i: y"

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Patented June 30, 1931 UNITEDl STATES PATENT oFFlcE l ROY N. PIERSON ANDCHARLES H.v CARLSON, OF`MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AS-

SIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN MULTIG-RAPH CO.,OF;'I'ILlVlINGr-` i TON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DFLAVARE LETTER-FOLDING l MACHINE Application led September 14, 1929. Serial No.392,598.

action and has certain novel devices of an` adjustable or rearrangeablecharacter, whereby, sheets may be folded once to form two plies or twiceto form three plies and, whereby, sheets of different width and lengthmay be folded in the manner just indicated.

A commercial form of the machine is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the same line as Fig. 2 but with some partsbroken away and others removed and the parts shown being on a largerscale than in Fig. 2; I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing 3 parts found in the vicinityof the line marked 4 4 on Fig. 3, some of the parts being broken away;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation with some parts broken away showing thefolding roller mountings and immediately-associated parts, the partsbeing on the same scale as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail of one of the roller journals some parts beingsectioned on the line o 6 6 of Fig. 5 and some parts being shown infull;

Fig. 7 isv a detaill in section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 3, someparts being brokenl away; U5V Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing indetail one of the gauge plates;

Fig. 9 is an end elevation 'of the gauge plates shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a Viewr in section showing a paper sheet such as a lettersheet folded twice or into three ply, the thickness` of the paper,

of course, being exaggerated and 1 Fig. 11 is a section on the lline11-11 of Fig.3. A Y

The various parts of the machine are mounted on a frame made up chieflyof laterally spaced cast side plates 11 connected by various tieshereinafter noted and includ-V ing -a horizontally disposed feed table12. The folding operation is performed by four co-operating rollers, towit: a fcentral roller 13, an'- upper roller 14, a lower'rollerV 15 anda rear roiler 16. Theserollers are preferably provided with rubber facesor exterior portions andthe shafts 14a, 15a, and 16a of rollers 14, 15and 16 are journaledin movable bearings 17 that are movable in slots 18and are spring-pressed toward theaxis of the central roller 13 by coiledsprings 19. The shaft 1,3a of central roller 13 projects at one end andis provided with-a` small -pulley 20 and `a relatively large pulley 21.By the springs 19, rollers 14, 15 and 16 are yieldingly held infrictional contact with roller 13 so that when the latter is drivenallof the rollers will be driven. A belt 22 runs over large pulley 21and over as mall pulley l23 carried by the shaft 24 of a small electricmotor 25, the casing'of whichis secured to a bracket 26 pivoted to theframe work at 27 in such manner that proper tension on the-belt 22 maybe maintained by adjustments of said bracket and-motor;

In Fig. 3 a sheet of paper under the process of being folded marked Y isindicated by full linesand a second stage in the folding operationisindicated 'by dotted lines .marked Y.

It'shouldbe noted thatthe feed table 12 is iny such a horizontal planethat the sheets fed therefrom will be directed between the rollers 13and 14; From between the rollers 13 and 14 the sheet lY is fed into thecurved'lower extremity of an upper inclined-guide'way 28 that is formedbetween vertically spaced upper and lower plates 29 and 30. The plates29 and 30 are preferably of quite thin sheet metal secured at their sideedges to extensions 11a of the frame side plates 11. When the sheet Y isstopped in its upward and `rearward movement in--gude'way 28, it will beward and rearward movement, it will be again buckled and then fedforward between the rollers 13 and 15 and onto a sort of inclined deckwhich, as shown, is made up 'of laterally spaced inclined bars 34 and 35that are suitably secured at their lower endsto a receivingtable 36which, in-turn, is mountedfon the base and frame.

Overlying the inclined bars 34 and 35 is an inclined deflecting plate 37pivotally mounted on and frictionally held inset adjustment-s tobrackets 38 secured on the side frames 11. Mounted adjacent to thereceiving end of the table 36 and working between the lower ends of thebars 34 and beyond the delivery ends of the latter, is a` rotary packer.This packer, as shown, is inthe form of a roller 39 having radiallylprojected packer arms 40.l The shaft 41 of the above noted packer isshown as journaled inbearing brackets 42 secured on the base plate 43rigidly secured to the lower port-ions'of the side frames 11. At oneendshaft 41 is provided withv a pulley 44 over whichand the pulley 2Oofcentral roller 13 runs a belt 45s@ that the packer isv driven fromsaid centrall roller. In Fig. the-letter sheet is shown as folded threeply and in Fig. 2 a plurality of pack of these folded sheets is shown aslocated on the re-` ceiving table 36 and pressed against a followerbracket 46 that is slidably mounted on saidreceiving table.

Stop devices of the novelV construction are appliedin connection withthe inclined runways formed in the one instance between the plates 29and 30L and inthe other instance between the plates 32 and 33 butl asboth of (lll these stop devices are alike, the description of the onewill answer for the description: ofV the other. The upper plates 29 andl30 are provided-with longitudinally extended relatively wide slots 47while the lower plates 32 and 33` are provided with underlyingrelatively narrow slotsf48, see'particularly Figs. 1'and7. Thenumeral49indicates a plurality 1 of stop arms connected by a cross barv 50 sothat it forms asort of stop bracket'with aplurality of freeend stopsurfacesl that are concentricV to guide-pins 52 that project laterallyfrom the free gends of said arms;

The slots 47 in upper plates 29 and 3O`are through the lower plates 432and 33.Y The up per ends of arms 49 are pivotally connected by shortbolts 53 to the free end portion of a yoke-like arm 54 that is pivotallyconnected to lugs 55, in the one instance on the upper end of the upperplate 29 and in the other instance on the lower end of plate-32. Thumbnuts 56 applied to the ends of the bolts 53 serve to frictionally lockthe stop arms'49 in various'different set adjustments.

For properly guiding the letter sheets to the folding rollers there isprovided a pair of laterally adjustable gauge bars 57 which, as shown,have very thin inwardly projecting flanges 58 that rest closely on thefeed table 12 and on which'the edges of the sheet Y are adapted to rest.These gauge bars 57- are adjustably secured to a cross bar 59 bymeans ofclamping screws 60 and co-operating lugs 61 arranged as best shown inFig. 3.

As an important feature'there is provided a fold cut-out device or meanswhereby the machine may be used to produce but a single fold in a sheet.For the support of two or more cam-acting cut-out deflectors, atransverse rod 63 is extended parallel to and just at the rear of theupper roller 14 and is secured at its ends to the frame side plates 11.rFliese deflectors 62 are slidably mounted on rod 63 and are providedwith set screws 64 by means of which they may be secured'either inoperative positionsindicated by dotted lines in Figzl or in inoperativepositions indicated by full lines in F-i-g. 1. The top surfaces ofdeflectors 62 are curved so kas to lie close to but not in frictionalcontact with roller 14. At their lower ends deflectors -62 are formedwith concave extensions 62a that are concentric to the rol-ler 13-butare spaced therefrom so as' to leave adownward passage for the sheet Y.i

Operation For first' illustration it willbe assumed that the sheet Y isto be folded twice or three ply asshown in Fig. 10, and hence, that thecutout deflectors 62 are adjusted to the outer ends of rod 63, as shownby full lines in Fig. 1, so that they will be out of the line ,ofmovement ofthe sheet Y as it passes from between the rollers 13 and 14.In this adjustment the sheet Y will pass from rollers 13 and 14'up intothe rst guideway 28 until its upper edge strikes the eccentric endsurfaces of-I arms '49 whereuponvthe sheet willbe buckled and fed doubledownward between-rollers 13 and' 16. From rollers 13 and 16 the oncedoubled sheet will be fed downward into second guideway 31 until itstrikes the end surfacesof lower arms 49 whereupon the sheet will beagainr range of action of the rotating packer 4() by which the sheetswill be accumulated in a pack on receiving table 36 and fed forwardagainst the movable follower bracket 46. It will, of course, beunderstood that the upper and lower stop arms 49 will be adjusted sothat the sheets will be folded just at the desired places, and whichmatter of folding is usually determined by the size of the sheet and thesix/.e of the envelopes into which they are to be inserted. Here it isimportant to note that the end surfaces 51 which are concentric to stoppins 52 always presents stop surfaces for the sheets that areapproximately at right angles to the sheets regardless of the variousadjustments of the stop devices.

Vihen it is desired to give the sheets Y but one fold, cut-outdefiectors 62 are adjusted` to the dotted line positions in Fig. 1 wherethey will be within the path of movement of the sheets and in suchadjustments the front end of sheet Y as it moves from between rollers 13and 14 will strike against the curved deecting surfaces 62a and withoutbeing folded at this point will be turned directly downward betweenrollers 13 and 16 and from thence will pass into the lower guideway 31until its advanced edge strikes the stop surfaces 51 of the lower arms49 and thereupon the sheets will be buckled and fed double forwardbetween rollers 13 and 15. This operation, as is evident, will give thesheets but one fold and the once folded sheet will be delivered downwardand packed onto Vthe receiving table 36 by an operation previouslydescribed.

In actual practice, this machine has been found highly efficient for thepurposes had in view.

Vhat we claim is:

1. A folding machine comprising a group of folding rollers arranged as acentral roller, an upper roller, a lower roller and a rear roller, asheet guideway normally receiving the sheet from between said centraland upper roller and having a stop forv causing the said sheet to buckledownward between said central and rear roller, and lower sheet guidewayreceiving the sheet from between said central and rear roller and havinga stop for causing said sheet to buckle between said central and lowerroller, an inclined deck receiving the folded sheet from between saidcentral and lower roller, a receiving table, and a packer operative onthe folded sheets delivered from said deck and serving to pack the sameon said receiving table.

2. A folding machine comprising'a group of folding rollers arranged as acentral roller, an upper roller, a lower roller and a rear roller, asheet guideway normally receiving the sheetfrom between said central andupper roller and having a stop for causing the said sheet to buckledownward between said central and rear roller, and lower sheet guidewayyreceiving the sheet from between'said central and rear roller and havinga'stop for causing said sheet to buckle between said centra-l and lowerroller, and fold cut-out deflecting means c omprisinga cross rod at therear of said upper roller, and a'plurality of camacting deflectorsslidably mounted on said cross rod to and'from operative positions andserving, 'when in operative positions, todirect the sheet from betweensaid central and upper roller directly downward, without folding,between said central and rear roller and from thence'into saidsheetguideway and from thence buckled and fed forward between saidcentral'and lower roller.

3. The structure defined-in claim 2 in which the 'stops co-operatingwith said sheet guidewaysare independently adjustable forpproducingdifferent width folds in the two folding actions. j

4. The structure defined in claim 2 in further combination with a feedtable aligned with the contacting' -portions between said central andupper roller, and'. laterally adjustable gauge bars applied on the uppsurface ofsaid table, said slidable cut-out devices being renderedinoperative when adjusted laterally outward of' said gauge bars.

5. The structure defined in claim 1 in further combination with anadjustable deflecting plate located above said packer and serving todirect the folded sheets downward and subject to the action of saidpacker.

6. The combination with a group of folding rollers and a sheet guidewayreceiving the sheet from between the first two acting rollers anddirecting the same between the next acting rollers in buckled conditionfor folding, of an adjustable sheet-stopping device co-operating withsaid sheet guideway and comprising a pair of pivotally connected membersone of which members is pivoted to a fixed support and the free end ofthe other of which members is projected through said guideway foradjustments longitudinally thereof.

7. The combination with a group of folding rollers and a lsheet guidewayreceiving the sheet from between the iirst two acting rollers anddirecting the same between the next acting rollers in buckled conditionfor folding,'of an adjustable sheet-stopping device co-operating withsaid sheet guideway and comprising a pair of pivotally connected membersone of which members is pivoted to a fixed support and the free end ofthe other of which members is projected through said guideway foradjustments longitudinally thereof,.the free end of said second memberhaving a sliding pivotal connection with said guideway and having a stopsurface that is concentric with said sliding pivot.

8. The combination with a group of folding rollers and a sheet guidewayreceiving the sheet from between the first two acting rollersand'directing. the same-between, the next act-- ing rollers in buckledcondition, for folding,A

of an adjustable sheet-stopping device cooperating with saidsheetguideway and comprising a pair of pivotally connected members one ofwhich members is pivoted'to a( fixed support and the free end of theother of which members is projected through said guideway foradjustments longitudinally thereof, said sheet guideway. being-formedbetween slightly spaced upper and loWeI,V

sheet-s having aligned longitudinally extended relatively wide andnarrow slots, and the free end portion of said stop-acting member I-having lateral projections affording a sliding pivotal connectionbetween said member and lowerplate, said pin being insertable throughthefslotof said upper plate but not through the slot. of thelower'plate, the free end of Said stop member having a stop surface thatis concentric to said pivot-forming lateral projection and extendingdownward through the slots of said lower plate.

In testimony whereof we affix our signa,-

ROY N. PIERSON. CHARLES H. CARLSON.

tures.

